Although the special effects had thrilled the audience beyond measure, as the film came to an end, a heavy and somber atmosphere settled over the entire cinema.
The Battle of Dalinghe had ended in total defeat for the Ming army.
Zu Dashou surrendered.
He Kegang—loyal to the Ming to the very end—was killed by Zu Dashou.
The civilians inside the city were all slaughtered and consumed as military rations.
In the final scenes, the protagonist fought his way out of the encirclement with He Kegang's corpse strapped to his back. After returning inland, he concealed his face behind a mask and began training a militia, preparing to save the Great Ming with his own strength.
The plot struck directly at the heart.
Many viewers walked out of the theater with red eyes and tear-streaked faces.
Outside the cinema, a small merchant who had failed to get a ticket was still lingering around. Seeing the first batch of viewers emerge in such a state, he was completely baffled.
"What's wrong with you all?" he asked anxiously.
"What happened? Was the movie bad? Why are you all crying like this?"
A worker, still sobbing, answered through tears, "It was incredible… but… too tragic. Boohoo… the common people… they were all eaten as military rations…"
The small merchant sucked in a sharp breath.
"!!!"
"General He Kegang, loyal to the Ming, was killed by that scoundrel Zu Dashou!"
"Zu Dashou is pure evil!"
"I recognize his face!" someone shouted angrily. "He played Xiao Tianzuo last time too!"
"Boohoo! That man is truly evil—he's responsible for all the wickedness in this world!"
The small merchant: "..."
The more they talked, the more desperate he became to watch the movie himself. But with all the tickets for the day sold out, he could only wait for tomorrow.
With the Village Chief sitting right there overseeing things, he didn't dare try to buy tickets at a higher price. In the end, he could only resign himself to fate.
At that moment, the first screening ended completely. The cleaners entered to tidy up the theater. After a short break, the second screening was about to begin. Viewers for the second show gradually arrived, brushing past those leaving from the first.
Suddenly, someone pointed toward the incoming crowd and shouted:
"Hey! Everyone look! It's Instructor He!"
At once, a large crowd turned their heads.
Cheng Xu was walking over with a few militia soldiers, chatting and laughing casually. His face was covered by a mask—looking exactly like the masked protagonist from the movie.
A particularly "sharp" audience member suddenly had a revelation.
"Wait a second… could this movie be telling Instructor He's story?"
"Oh!"
"That makes sense!"
"Right! It must be Instructor He! He's masked, and he's organizing a militia!"
The audience members who had just exited the first screening instantly swarmed toward Cheng Xu like a tidal wave.
"Instructor He! So you were from the border army!"
"Instructor He, was it you who carried General He Kegang's body and fought your way out of the encirclement?"
"You're my idol! Please sign an autograph for me!"
A massive question mark seemed to pop up over Cheng Xu's head.
"Instructor He, you're a true master who hides his strength!"
"Instructor He, I love you! I want to bear your children!"
Cheng Xu panicked immediately. "What are you all talking about?!"
One particularly inconsiderate child even reached out and tugged at his mask—and did so frighteningly fast, pulling it down halfway.
In that instant, Cheng Xu's mind exploded with hallucinations.
He imagined more than a dozen great-grandmothers wearing Jinyiwei uniforms leaping out of the crowd, smiling eerily as they said:
"My dear grandchild… come, come… follow your great-grandmas down to the underworld…"
Cheng Xu broke out in a cold sweat. He slapped his hands over his face, shoved his mask back into place, and bolted in panic.
"Don't come closer! Don't touch my mask!"
The child's parent grabbed the kid by the scruff of his neck and smacked him soundly.
"You little brat! How can you just pull off Instructor He's mask like that?"
"He's a border army deserter! If his face is exposed, the Jinyiwei will come knocking!"
Cheng Xu nearly fainted.
"What nonsense are you spouting?!" he shouted.
"When did I become a border army deserter? And don't mention the Jinyiwei! I hate hearing those three words!"
The parent immediately slapped himself. "Right, right! I misspoke. How could Instructor He, a border army hero, be called a deserter? I deserve a beating!"
Cheng Xu: "???"
The crowd declared unanimously, "Instructor He is a true hero!"
"Don't worry! The Jinyiwei can't reach Gao Family Village!"
"If we see a Jinyiwei, we'll beat him to death!"
Cheng Xu screamed, "No! No! No! Don't do that!"
"You can't just kill Jinyiwei on sight! Kill one and a whole group will come! Kill a group and even more will come!"
The audience from the first screening reassured him earnestly.
"Alright, we won't tell anyone."
"We'll help Instructor He keep this secret."
Cheng Xu nearly lost his mind.
"Hey! Hey! Someone explain to me what exactly is going on here?!"
No one explained anything.
After throwing him countless looks of admiration, the audience from the first screening dispersed.
The second screening began.
This time, Cheng Xu also sat down inside the theater and watched the movie properly.
Like everyone else, he was amazed by the visuals—the bullet time, the violent aesthetics, the slow-motion shots. For someone from the past, it was an eye-opening experience.
Then came the cannibalism.
He Kegang's death.
Zu Dashou's surrender.
Cheng Xu's heart sank deeper and deeper.
Finally, in the very last shot of the film, the protagonist raised a mask… and covered his face.
Cheng Xu's heart jolted violently.
Only then did he understand why the audience from the first screening had behaved so strangely.
"Ah… this…"
Several viewers seated beside him turned to stare at him almost simultaneously.
Then more people turned.
Then nearly the entire theater turned their heads together, all staring at Cheng Xu.
"No, no!" Cheng Xu shouted. "Let me explain!"
"Instructor He, no need to explain!"
"Yes, yes! We understand!"
"We'll keep your secret!"
Cheng Xu was drenched in sweat.
"What secret?! This movie plays multiple times a day, and it's screening both in Gao Family Village and Puzhou City! How many people will watch it every day?! How could this possibly stay secret?!"
The crowd roared, "Then we'll kill the Jinyiwei! Kill them all!"
Cheng Xu howled, "Calm down! Calm down!"
"The Battle of Dalinghe happened two years ago, but I—He Jiu—have been in Gao Family Village for six or seven years! Six or seven years! It doesn't match the timeline at all!"
Hearing this, everyone suddenly exclaimed in unison:
"Oh?"
"Ah!"
"So that's how it is!"
Cheng Xu finally let out a breath. "Good. As long as you understand."
"This is a fictional story. It's just a coincidental plot arrangement. It has absolutely nothing to do with me. Nothing at all."
Everyone nodded sagely.
"So the Battle of Dalinghe actually happened six or seven years ago!"
"The imperial court really lied to us, saying it was only two years ago!"
Cheng Xu screamed, "Can you please respect historical facts?!"
The crowd replied solemnly, "Please let the facts respect the movie!"
"Aaaargh—!"
The militia soldiers beside him spoke sincerely.
"We always knew Instructor He was capable… but we never imagined he was this capable."
"From now on, we will definitely listen to you."
"We will never anger you again."
Cheng Xu lifted his gaze toward the sky, utterly speechless.